The University of North Carolina
White Paper on e-Learning
July 21, 2003
Many of the campuses of the University of North Carolina have made major strides in providing access to citizens of North Carolina through distance education and e-Learning.
While many of the programs initially extended the face-to-face delivery system to new sites at community colleges and other locations across the State, even these programs were supported by the new technologies, which allow access to course material online.
Other programs have been developed in a blended mode, with some work face-to-face at a distance and other work and interaction Internet based. Another variant is the use of teleconferencing to a site or sites around the State. Still other programs have developed fully online courses and degree programs. While each of these approaches and other mixes of delivery modes will be part of UNC’s strategy for extending access, fully electronically based access will play a larger and larger role in extending the resources of the University of North Carolina to citizens wherever they are located in the State. We expect there will also be a significant number of programs that are predominantly electronically delivered with a limited but required face-to-face component. To successfully develop these alternatives for their fullest use, many issues need to be addressed. This paper attempts to delineate these issues.
UNC is very close to being in a position to initiate major new steps in e-Learning. Those steps would be to identify the availability of a select number of bachelor’s (in coordination with community colleges) and master’s degrees that would essentially be fully online and to assure that they could be fully supported. Any degree may have some non-online elements such as proctored exams, clinical experiences, etc., but an electronically available degree would mean that almost all the work could be done by the students in their home community and that the non-online components would be
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available locally or with only a small number of visits to a site away from their home community. Good practice requires the identification of all those elements at the outset so students can decide and plan accordingly. Online programs are directed primarily to providing access at the baccalaureate and master’s level for those who may not have other options for continuing their education.
Baccalaureate Level
Cooperative Program with Community Colleges
At the baccalaureate level, UNC would expect to cooperate with community colleges to identify and offer a select number of degrees online. The main components would be the courses appropriate for the first two years, mainly general education courses and prerequisites for majors, courses in majors, and elective courses for satisfying all the requirements for a baccalaureate degree. The rule of thumb would be for community colleges to offer the first two years and UNC to offer the second two years with a focus on majors and electives. This would require joint agreements for degree programs and for student support, as well as a set of standards for various aspects of the degree offerings. Many undergraduate online courses require proctored testing. Community colleges and universities would need to explore making their testing facilities available for online students on a systematic basis with an appropriate fee structure.
NCCCS Online Learning at the Associate Degree Level
Colleges within the North Carolina Community College System have collaborated to form the Virtual Learning Community, or VLC. The VLC’s purpose is to develop highquality distance education courses using internet-based delivery methods. The collaborating colleges create courses that remain the intellectual property of the NCCCS, and do not belong to an individual or to a college. The courses are developed by veteran instructors who are given either monetary incentives or release time. The Virtual
Learning Community benefits smaller colleges, which might not have the resources to develop the range of courses currently in the VLC library. There are 109 courses in the
VLC library, with another 45 being deployed in the summer of 2003.
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In addition to these internet-based courses, the NCCCS provides distance education courses using a variety of other delivery techniques. The required infrastructure is in place to deliver courses via the Internet, by asynchronous video, interactive video, and satellite downlink.
The North Carolina Community College System has experienced astonishing growth in the demand for distance education classes. There were 75,415 distance education registrations in 2001-2002, up from 50,916 in 2000-2001, an increase of 48%, which was up from 35,587 in 1999-2000, for a growth rate of 43%. There are currently 16 separate degrees and degree concentrations available from a number of colleges.
Since many of the recipients of these degrees desire to transfer to senior institutions within the state of North Carolina, a cooperative program between NCCCS and UNC would be of great benefit to transfer students in North Carolina.
Proposed Degrees at the Baccalaureate Level
The initial proposal is for five degrees or degree areas. This list could be slightly shorter to start with and one could expect over time for a few more programs to be added. Five areas would give students a reasonable range of choice without overtaxing the system in the initial stages. It would be wise to show the planned availability of several degrees that would appeal to a wide range of students and be directed at State needs, especially those identified as critical. The schedule for rollout could reduce the effort needed immediately. NCCCS and UNC could announce a package of five or so degrees with the start-up dates staggered, offering one or two the first year, three or four the second year, and so on.
The five proposed initial degree areas are:
Health Area, especially Nursing
Teacher Education
Information Technology
Business
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Liberal Arts (Humanities or Social Sciences, or interdisciplinary)
The first four of these would respond to identified state needs and the interests of students in studying in these areas. The fifth would respond to students seeking a broader educational experience, and this degree could also provide electives for the other programs. UNC campuses have in place several programs that will fit well with these curriculum areas.
These programs should be well developed and in place along with all the supporting mechanisms before we publicly market the overall program. UNC has great credibility in this arena, since it has not announced any initiatives from which it has had to backtrack as many other systems and universities have. These e-Learning programs would be the front pieces for a wider spectrum of access initiatives ranging from face-to-face programs at remote sites to blended programs that would be a mix of online and face-to-face activities, and ranging from degree programs to certificate programs. The core idea would be to offer a wide range of programs with a clear statement of what delivery methods are involved in the courses and the degrees. All this will be part of an ongoing process to educate students and the public about what to expect as they choose courses and degrees that take advantage of new educational delivery technologies. But the dramatic lead would be a select set of fully online degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
There are programs available electronically from our campuses, for example, which would fit under each of these categories. This is provided for illustrative purposes and does not indicate that any of the necessary steps have been take to assure that each campus wants to participate, that there is support for significantly increasing the number of students in the programs, or that the articulation with the community colleges is in place, etc. In almost all instances these are upper division completion programs.
Health Area, especially Nursing
RN to BSN--ECU
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RN to BSN—UNC CH
RN to BSN--UNCC and UNCW (Joint)
BS Health Information Management--ECU
BS Health Services Management--ECU
BS Occupational Safety and Health--NCA&TSU
BS Emergency Medical Care--WCU
BS Clinical Laboratory Science--WSSU
Teacher Education
BS B-K Teacher Education (fall 2003)--ECU
BS Agricultural Education—NCA&TSU
BS Business Education--NCA&TSU
BS Elementary Education--UNCW
BS Education of Young Children--UNCW
Information Technology
BS Computer Engineering Technology—ECU
BS Industrial Technology—ECU
BSBE Information Technology—ECU
BS Electronic Technology--NCA&TSU
BS Engineering Technologies--UNCC
BS Engineering Technologies (Fire Safety)--UNCC
Business
BS Business Administration—UNCG
BS Business Administration—UNCP
BS Business Administration—WSSU
Liberal Arts (Humanities or Social Sciences, or interdisciplinary)
BS Criminal Justice--NCCU
BS Criminal Justice--UNCW
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BS Criminal Justice--WCU
Master’s Level and Advanced Continuing Education
There is an obvious overlap between master’s level work and advanced continuing education. Careful planning in the development of courses for master’s programs will result in subsets of the courses that can be used for credit certificate programs as well as for non-credit offerings. E-Learning at the master’s level is progressing faster than at the baccalaureate level. UNC campuses have several successful examples of online master’s degrees, and others are in development. While some programs may be entirely online, others may require some small number of class meetings or a meeting at the beginning of the term. Clinical courses will require local supervision. Community colleges could also play a role by providing sites for these meetings, and in some instances some of their faculty or adjunct faculty might be available to provide clinical oversight. At this point we have the following candidates from our campuses:
Health Area, especially Nursing
MSN Nursing Education--ECU
MSN Nursing Education--UNCG
MS Speech-Language Pathology--ECU
MS Nutrition--ECU
MS Occupational Safety (Health and Industrial Hygiene)--ECU
MPH/MHA Public Health--UNC CH
Teacher Education
MA Educational Media—ASU
MAEd Art Education—ECU
MS Technical Teacher Education—ECU
MS Vocational Education (Information Technology)—ECU
MAEd Special Education—ECU
MAEd Instructional Media Design—ECU
MAEd Health Teacher Education—ECU
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MS Instructional Technology--NCA&TSU
MS Technology Education--NCA&TSU
Information Technology, Engineering
MLS Library Science--ECU
MLS Library Science--NCCU
MS Industrial Technology--ECU
M in Engineering—NCSU
M in Computer Science—NCSU
MS Chemical Engineering—NCSU
M in Civil Engineering—NCSU
MS in Mechanical Engineering—NCSU
MS in Aerospace Engineering—NCSU
Business
MPM Project Management--WCU
Liberal Arts (Humanities or Social Sciences, or interdisciplinary)
MS Criminal Justice—ECU
MA English—ECU
As with baccalaureate programs, online master’s programs may include some activities such as a proctored exam, an internship, or a lab experience that will require the student to have some traditional interactions, but for the most part these can be arranged locally for the student. The key, of course, is to clearly spell out the full range of activities needed to complete the course of study. Demand could accelerate in this area if we provide the right mix of master’s programs and the ability for the individual to pursue a degree while continuing employment. Many degree and non-degree certificates may have a wide audience as well. A proven strategy is to nest certificate credit programs so a student can continue toward a degree. We will have a growing access problem at the master’s level and this will be an effective way to address it. Master’s programs will be
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of particular interest for students seeking opportunities to teach at the community college level.
Resident Students
Once online courses and degree programs become available for distance students, resident students will seek to participate in those programs. Any long-range strategy must address this reality. Students can get courses not available otherwise, can take courses from home in the summer, can supplement their schedule when studying abroad, can choose this option for convenience, or can get a different set of experiences working online. For these and other reasons, we should welcome resident students’ desire to participate in online learning. Some campuses will develop online courses for resident students as a necessary part of their education for the world they will work in. Our tuition and fee policies are of particular concern for efficient access to all the online courses and programs available on the campuses.
Many of our campus are involved with on campus initiatives to integrate the new technologies into the face-to-face learning environment. The recently released report by the Business-Higher Education Forum, Building a Nation of Learners, which grew out of the Learning and Technology Initiative co-chaired by Molly Corbett Broad and Sean C.
Rush makes it clear that technology is a necessary component in the transformation of education to meet the nation’s needs for college educated citizens. The document reports that, “the most successful education models are those that blend the best aspects of both the traditional classroom and technology innovation,” and that, “the greatest benefits of technological innovation…are not the cost savings but the learning gains.”
Other Sources of Students
Many businesses are recognizing the need for continuing education and must either develop corporate educational facilities internally or contract for those services.
University-wide collaboration could make UNC an attractive source for providing such corporate education. There is strong interest in UNC degrees out of state and internationally. While UNC’s primary mission is to serve the citizens of North Carolina,
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when courses and degrees are available online there may be a way to offer them to outof-state students and companies that will generate a revenue stream to support the overall e-Learning initiative. This is an area for exploration since many studies have documented the need for expanding online learning for students around the world.
Quality Issues and e-Learning
UNC institutions pride themselves on offering quality education at every level. Any large scale movement to e-Learning will need to assure the presence of that same quality in instruction and learning whatever the mode of delivery. Evidence is beginning to emerge that student involvement and the quality of learning can be just as high, and in some cases, higher than in some traditional modes of educational delivery.
Collaboration among Campuses
A single campus with adequate funds and the requisite commitment can successfully mount these degree programs. However, two or more campuses can also offer them in a collaborative arrangement. As these offerings become more extensive both at the undergraduate and graduate level, there will need to be careful consideration of UNC’s requirement for no unnecessary duplication. Every campus, for example, need not offer all the electives needed to complete a program if electives are online from another campus. A number of issues will need to be addressed to make such collaboration an effective way to proceed. The Board of Governors at its April 2003 meeting approved a policy that provides for the awarding of degrees jointly between two or more campuses, with each institution’s name on the diploma. This likely will make the development of collaborative efforts more appealing. Many other issues will need to be addressed to make collaborative activities work smoothly and efficiently for both faculty and students.
Why Should Campuses Collaborate?

To provide broader access to higher education in North Carolina

To leverage resources

To provide a seamless path from CC to UNC degrees

To take advantage of distinguished faculty anywhere in the system
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
To benefit from the investment in the development of high-quality teaching modules

To leverage UNC-OP’s continuing investment in e-Learning

To accommodate enrollment growth

To provide a pipeline for graduate programs

To address diversity issues
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To build programs and capacity for expanding existing programs

To build alumni support
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To support economic development and partner with local businesses
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To leverage coordinated marketing
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To participate in collaborative grant opportunities
Coordinating Mechanism
For online learning to be fully successful, there will need to be a coordinating function.
This entity would organize degree offerings, explore market need, and perhaps provide funding for starting degree or certificate programs. This coordinating entity could range from a University-wide committee to a structure with a small staff to facilitate and coordinate the offering of courses and degrees in an online format. Its most effective function might be marketing in the broader sense of making what is available in UNC known to potential students, locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. It is clear that all degrees offered will be through the campuses so any coordinating function would work only to connect students and campus programs.
Supporting These Initiatives
To successfully launch such an effort and particularly to publicly commit to marketing this direction, many supporting mechanisms must be in place, and many policies and practices will need to be reviewed and possibly changed in order to mesh with the new initiative. The list includes the following:

Block tuition (resident credit) vs. by student credit hour tuition (distance credit)

Fees for distance and online students
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
Develop payment model for multi-campus involvement

Review State funding model for multi-campus involvement

Rethink the issue of distance vs. online students

Articulation with the community colleges and the NCCCS

Address admission process for taking one or two courses from another campus

Address tuition and fees when students are enrolled at two or more campuses
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Campus registration and cashier processes
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Technology infrastructure

Help Desk infrastructure
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Faculty development for using new technologies; coordination with TLT network; coordination with campus-based teaching centers
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Adjustments to faculty assignment and reward system; faculty workload issues
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Establish standards of good and best practices
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Adopt SCORM or SCORM-like standards for course development

Establish set of definitions for data collection, especially for method of delivery
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Define library access for students and programs
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Identify mode of access: portal, CFNC, etc.
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Policies regarding on-campus residency requirements for degrees

Policies on number of courses that are allowed to be transferred into a degree program

Start and ending schedule for online courses; campus calendar

Develop a central coordinating/brokering agency

Align OP resources for online learning with goals of project
Decentralized vs. Centralized Activity
While online courses, certificates, and degrees will be offered by the individual campus or by consortia of campuses offering a joint degree, attention needs to be devoted to the level at which various support services will occur, and the level at which issues or problems will be addressed and solved.
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Organization of an Initiative from the Office of the President
An initiative in electronic teaching and learning, while centrally involving Academic
Affairs, Information Resources, and Finance, will likely involve every division of the
Office of the President. Any successful initiative will require major involvement of campuses and their representation on working groups. There needs to be a driver in the
Office of the President, for the UNC part of the initiative, not to settle the issues, but to organize the effort, identify committees and work groups that need to be formed, to be responsible for getting substantive matters to the right channels and groups, to establish time lines for each project, and to provide regular reports on progress of working groups.
At the same time, there will need to be a University-wide committee to oversee and foster this development and a number of ad hoc committees to address special issues.
Joint Initiative with the Community Colleges
UNC and NCCCS are working together to establish a joint initiative to reach an agreement on seamless undergraduate online degrees and to identify the issues that need to be addressed to make this possible.
Steps to be Taken within UNC

Form a UNC-OP steering committee and a University wide policy group for implementing the e-learning initiative

Re-initiate the OP steering committee to articulate a set of goals for the initiative for ratification by the University-wide policy group

Identify campuses interested in working on proving the concept at the baccalaureate and graduate levels

Organize issues, questions, problems, and the supporting mechanisms; identify working groups to propose solutions, approaches, and recommendations for implementation; align responsibility for coordinating these workgroups with members of the steering committee

The OP Steering committee would be responsible for taking proposed directions, solutions, implementation plans to appropriate policy channels for advice and approval
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
Identify specific actions to be completed in first year
Steps to be Taken Jointly by UNC and NCCCS

Joint steering group for establishing the initiative and monitoring its progress

Identification of degree programs to include initially

Identify issues for the Transfer Advisory Committee

Agree on standards for courses, support, proctoring tests, etc.

Address issue of joint funding through grants, contracts, or State appropriations
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